Dragonflies and Damselflies of Columbia County, Oregon
Dragonflies and Damselflies are of the Order Odonata. Dragonflies tend to be larger and thicker with wings that are held straight out, whereas damselflies are small and slender with wings held along the body.
Dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera)
Skimmers (family Libellulidae)
Our most common dragonflies, they have the greatest visual diversity. Many are small or medium in size.
Darners (family Aeshnidae)
These are large, fast-flying dragonflies that you’ll usually see in the air. Eyes are noticeably large.
Emeralds (family Corduliidae)
Named for their green eyes or metallic green thoraxes. Tend to be found in marshes, lake edges, or cool ponds.
Clubtails (family Gomphidae)
Have a widened end of the abdomen, especially visible in males. Unlike other dragonflies (but like damselflies), their eyes are often separated. Prefer clean, clear, fast-moving streams, thus development or logging near waterways is a problem.
Spiketails (family Cordulegastridae)
Named due to females, which have spiked ovipositor which they use to deposit eggs perpendicular to stream margins while flying vertically.
Petaltails (family Petaluridae)
These are the most ancient of all living dragonfly families. There is an Australian species that reaches 5 inches long, making it the largest living dragonfly.
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera)
Pond Damsels (family Coenagrionidae)
Our most commonly encountered damselfly family. Many are relatively small. Their larvae tend to require natural, non-polluted water bodies.
Spread-winged Damselflies (family Lestidae)
Spreadwings are long and slender, unique in that they hold their wings at an angle rather than straight along the body like other damselfies.
Broad-winged Damselflies (family Calopterygidae)
Large, broad-winged damselflies, often metallic in color. Found in streams and rivers.
4 thoughts on “Dragonflies and Damselflies of Columbia County, Oregon”
Thanks for the excellent website. I wish all counties had one like it. I live in Washington County. My search for Oregon dragonflies and damselflies brought me to it. I just watched David Attenborough’s excellent documentary “Dragons and Damsels’. It streams on Sling TV’s free stream. His series “Life in the Undergrowth” is also excellent.
I appreciate the photos and classification information. I really wish there was something like this for all the aquatic macro-invertebrates in Oregon. Well Done!
Ha, I started a mayflies/stoneflies/caddisflies/lacewings page and it was WAY too much work. I was only 3 mayfly families in when I had to give up because there were too many other projects on my plate.
Thanks for the excellent website. I wish all counties had one like it. I live in Washington County. My search for Oregon dragonflies and damselflies brought me to it. I just watched David Attenborough’s excellent documentary “Dragons and Damsels’. It streams on Sling TV’s free stream. His series “Life in the Undergrowth” is also excellent.
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Thanks! We’d love it if other places did copy what we did here, a big part of why we did all this was to inspire others.
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I appreciate the photos and classification information. I really wish there was something like this for all the aquatic macro-invertebrates in Oregon. Well Done!
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Ha, I started a mayflies/stoneflies/caddisflies/lacewings page and it was WAY too much work. I was only 3 mayfly families in when I had to give up because there were too many other projects on my plate.
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